Construction
on a temporary detour structure will tangle traffic on the Sellwood Bridge and
Oregon 43 on Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"The
contractor continues to install structural steel above two lanes of the highway
for a detour bridge," said Multnomah County spokesman Mike Pullen.

The
work will require closures of Oregon 43's northbound lane brief closures of
traffic in all directions.

Commuters
can avoid delays by using alternate routes, including Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard
to Taylors Ferry Road and Oregon 99E to the Ross Island Bridge.

Flaggers
may hold traffic for a few minutes during the morning commute, from 7:30 a.m.
to 9 a.m. during preparation work.

The
detour bridge has reduced the vertical clearance above the lane that carries
westbound bridge traffic south on Oregon 43 by eight inches to 14 feet, 8
inches. The work is part of the $268 million project to replace the 85-year-old
Sellwood Bridge over the Willamette River.